Combined bule and square



L. A. BALATTI.

COMBINED RULE AND SQUARE APPLICATION man SEPT. 14. 1918.

4Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

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. L. A. BALA'ITI. COMBINED RULE AND SQUARE. APPucAnoN FILED simu. |918.

Patented Dec. 23,1919.

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m 4m (liter/Mag LOUIS A. BALATTI, GF COTTGNWOD, ARIZONA.

COMBINED RULE AND SQUARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented Dec. 23,1919.

Application filed September 14, 1918. `Serial No. 254,080.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Louis A. BAL-irri, aV

citizen of Switzerland, residing at Cottonwood, inthe county of Yarapaiand State 'of Arizona, have invented new and useful improvements inCombined Rules and Squares, of which the following is a specicztion.

`This'invention is a combined adjustablel rule Ditch-board and square,adapted for use -for laying out stair work, and alsoV y adapted for usein various o-ther ways an'd oth r purposes as will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art to which the invention relates.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved tool of thischaracter which is simple in construction, and which can be rea lilyarranged in any desired adjusted position,

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangen'ient of devices hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan of my invention improvedcombined rule and square.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same taken on the plane indicated bythe line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the cross bar.

F ig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5, 6, and 7, respectively, are transverse sectional views ofthecross bar, of the pivotal connection between one of the arms and thecross bar, and of one of the arms.

1n the embodiment of my invention I provide a center guide 1 which ispreferably provided at opposite sides with scales 2, 3. The center guideis also provided with a dovetail groove 4 which extends from one endthereof to a point a suitable distance from the opposite end.

A pair of folding rule members 5 is pivotally connected to the lastnamed end of the center guide by means of a thumb screw 6, said members5 forming a rule joint 7 at their pivoted ends. Each rule member is alsopreferably provided in opposite sides with scales 8, 9, and each rulemember is also provided with a longitudinal dovetail groove 10.

. I also provide a cross bar 11 which is hollow, is open at theends,andis provided i on 'the inner side with longitudinal. slots V12.

The central portion of the cross bar is pivotally connected t-o thecenter guide by a thumb screw 13 the head 11i ofwhich is dovetailed andlis slidably fitted in 4the dovetail groove 4 of the center guide. Hencethe cross bar can be turned to'any desired'angle with respect to thecenter guide and canalso be adjusted longitudinally of the centerlguide. rihe rule members 5 are connected'to the crossbar by pivots l5-and slides 16, the pivots being arranged for movement 1n the slots 12 ofthe cross bar and the slides being secured to the pivots by spring clips17 and being provided with Adovetail tongues 16a which operate indovetail grooves 6 of the rule members 5. A pair of rack bars 19 isarranged in opposite sides of the hollow cross bar forlongitudinalmovement therein.

A pinion 20 is also arranged in the hollowV cross bar and between therack bars and engages the teeth of the rack bars as shown.

The spindle 21 of the pinion has a bearing in the outer side of thehollow cross bar and is provided with a head or button 23 whereby thepinion can be readily turned by the thumb and foreinger to cause therack bars to adjust vthe rule members 5 to any desired angle withrespectV tothe center guide.

The cross bar 11 is graduated at one side of its center in inches andfractions thereof and is graduated at the other side of said centeralong the same longitudinal edge in centimeters and millimeters, andthis'cross bar when removed from the member 1 may be efficiently usedsimply asa ruler. Each of the hinged members 5 is graduated along oneedge in inches and one of them is graduated along the other edge inmilli-V ton is then actuated to swing the arms 5 so that their edgeswill register with the desired ones of the graduatiens on the cross bar11. The relation between thedistance from the end of the member 1 to thegraduated edge of the bar 11 and the distance from thecenter of the bar11 to the graduations thereon with which the outer edge of either bar 5registers.

will then enable the user to ascertain or determine the proper angle orpitch and this function iseparticularly useful When the device is usedin stair-Work or the like.

lVhile I have herein shown and described a preferred form of myinif'ent-ion I would have it understood that changes may be made in theform, proportion and construction of the several parts Withoutdeparting.,r from the spirit of my invention and Within the scope of theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim:--

l. In a. tool of the class described the combination of a center guide,a cross bar slidably and pivotally connected to the center guide` and apair of rule members piif'otally connected With the centering` Y guideand pivotally and slidably connected to the cross bar, and means tosimultaneously adjust the rule members With respect to the center guideand cross bar.

A device of the character described comprising a center guide, a crossmember slidably and pivotally connected With said center guide, a pairof bars disposed Within said cross. member and slidable longitudie nallythereof, means for moving said last named bars, and a pair of rulemembers pivotally connected with said center guide and pivotallyconnected With said last named bars. v

3. A device of the character described comprising a center guide, across member slidably connected therewith, a pinion journaled in saidcross member, a pair of rack bars slidable longitudinally of said crossbar and engaging said pinion whereby upon rotation of said pinion saidrack bars Will be moYed simultaneously, and a pair of rule memberspivotally connected With said rack bars and pivotally connected With oneend of the center guide.

' In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

LOUIS A. BALATTI.

